IDEXX Laboratories Inc.: 10-K Risk Factor Changes

We have built, and expect to continue to build, AI into many of our product and service offerings, and we expect this element of our business to grow. We also use and are investing in AI tools for our internal business operations, including to generate code, develop products and services, and increase operational efficiency. We envision a future in which responsible AI operating in our devices, applications, and the cloud helps our customers be more productive in their business activities and interactions with consumers, and we effectively use AI in our operations to improve innovation, efficiency, and customer experience and value. As with many disruptive innovations, AI presents risks and challenges. AI algorithms and models may be flawed. Datasets may be insufficient or contain information that is non-representative, infringing, or otherwise subject to legal challenge. Our competitors may incorporate AI into their products, services, and operations more quickly, more successfully and more cost-effectively than us, which could impede our ability to compete. Existing and potential government regulation related to AI use may also foreclose certain areas of AI use, cause us to modify how we use AI, and increase the burden and cost of research and development and compliance in this area, and there is uncertainty around the validity and enforceability of intellectual property rights related to the use, development, and deployment of AI. Our use of AI may also lead to novel cybersecurity or privacy risks, which may adversely affect our operations and reputation. Failure to properly remediate AI usage issues may cause public confidence in AI to be undermined, which could slow adoption of AI in our offerings. The rapid evolution of AI combined with the evolving and unharmonized legal and regulatory landscape will require the application of resources to develop, test, and maintain our products and services to help ensure that AI is implemented in a manner to minimize unintended, harmful impact and to comply with applicable law. Although we continue to invest in AI, those investments may be substantial, and there can be no assurance that our investments will be beneficial to our business. Further, while we strive to develop and use AI responsibly and in compliance with law, including through implementing strong governance processes, there can be no assurance that we will address all AI-related issues that may arise. The failure to address such issues could damage our reputation, give rise to legal and/or regulatory action, or otherwise adversely affect our business.

We have built, and expect to continue to build, AI into many of our product and service offerings, and we expect this element of our business to grow. We envision a future in which responsible AI operating in our devices, applications, and the cloud, helps our customers be more productive in their business activities and interactions with consumers. As with many disruptive innovations, AI presents risks and challenges that could affect its adoption, and therefore our business. AI algorithms and models may be flawed. Datasets may be insufficient or contain information that is non-representative, infringing, or otherwise subject to legal challenge. Existing and potential government regulation related to AI use may also foreclose certain areas of AI use, cause us to modify how we use AI, and increase the burden and cost of research and development in this area, and failure to properly remediate AI usage issues may cause public confidence in AI to be undermined, which could slow adoption of AI in our offerings. The rapid evolution of AI will require the application of resources to develop, test, and maintain our products and services to help ensure that AI is implemented in a manner to minimize unintended, harmful impact and to comply with applicable law. Furthermore, over the last two years, there have been multiple class action lawsuits filed against large language model developers in the Northern District of California, the Southern District of New York, and the Middle District of Tennessee concerning alleged copyright and other intellectual property violations with respect to the information used to train AI models. The outcomes of these litigations may impair our ability to provide our AI technologies.